This blog is an ongoing record of traveling world with bamboo bike and starting / growing up social enterprise,"Bamboo Samurai". Bamboo Samurai will make bamboo bike and attractive bamboo products by using only Japanese bamboo. I will contribute to develop craftsmanship, coexist with bamboo forests in Japan and to build ecological world all over the world. I am loving Nature, biking, and bamboo. Please keep supporting Bamboo Samurai! Bamboo Samurai Founder,Takashi

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December 21, 2010

After back to Japan, busy days have been continued in school, reading documents, also writing thesis. This week I passed delayed midterm examination of thesis. Because of bamboo bike-journey for 3 month in United States, I was delayed compared to other classmates as concerns writing thesis. Though I was permitted to postpone to hand out thesis for midterm exam by school, this week I passed midterm exam 2 month later than the other classmates. But I feel good to pass midterm exam this week, also I got many e-mails from my friends whom I met in journey in United States, also who are readers of this blog! Tyo happy, thank you so much, my frineds!
We business students in Keio University, must pass 3 steps of examination, first step is "proposal exam", second step is "midterm exam", and the last step is "accomplish, announcement". My next step is the "last step", due date will be January 6 to accomplish writing (the first) thesis (after January 6, I will be able to add writing till the end of March), and hand out. Furthermore, due date will be January 15 to announce, do presentation to the other classmates and students.
My theme is "Considering of a business model of bamboo bike and verify an effectiveness of bamboo bike for bamboo business in Japan as a marketing tower". I will write good thesis using many experiences and interviews which many people gave/ inspired me, also many experiences I have had traveled with bamboo bike.

Every early morning since back to Japan, I have gone outside with bamboo bike, enjoyed biking. Recently, I enjoyed climbing a short-uphill three time a day which located in Seijo, Tokyo. This uphill locates near my house, very short(about 170feet long) but it let me remind a uphill in Missouri. So I climb this uphill with enormous power three times in a row. Good feeling, as if I saw the colorful trees in Missouri.

Also recently I like to listen songs of John Mayer. Particularly, I like to listen, "Heartbreak Warfare", "Half of My Heart", and "War of My Life". His voice is in an undertone, keep in low key, so there are little rising and falling of tones, but his voice contains a sense of peace, a sense of grief, a sense of nostalgia, his voice let me feel so. Cool. My recent favorite.

My friend whom I met in Bryce Canyon sent me some photos and e-mail this week, I felt tyo happy because that day when I and he biked together around Bryce Canyon, was one of the most impressive, happiest day of journey, also he taught me how to ride bike. I show some photos, which were taken in Utah, wide-scaled beautiful scenery, great Utah, and I got tanned much...

I bought one book about bamboo to study how bamboo has been introduced to international, the title is "bamboo in japan". There are many photograph in this book, also many bamboo products are introduced attached with photos. Bamboo products which I have not yet known are also introduced, for example, bamboo dolls and chochin(lantern). I felt strong emotion to see photos of beautiful bamboo crafts, bamboo basketry, bamboo garden, bamboo architecture, bamboo umbrella, bamboo lantern, bamboo kite, bamboo doll, bamboo fence, bamboo fishing pole, many many. This book let me remind that I am Japanese, let me feel beauty of bamboo, let me feel Japanese life long long ago(nostalgia), let me feel beauty of Japan, this book inspires me much. (bamboo bike is not yet introduced in this book...will be on the next edition?!)

(bamboo in Japan, Nancy Moore Bess)

About my "Bamboo Donation project", I already contacted some partners to support me.
Also I am constructing "causes" on Facebook, to fund-raise. I plant to donate to Glide Church some bamboo plants inside the church, and 20-25 bamboo diningwares in the kitchen of the chuch which provides cooking classes to neighbors in the community about improving diets through cooking healthier meals using local ingredients.
"Bamboo Doanation project", After accomplishing journey, I am proceeding a project now, I plan to donate some bamboo plants and some bamboo dinningwares to Glide Church in San Francisco in March to raise awareness Eco-friendly life more after fundraising term (Christmas to end of February).

(bamboo in Japan, Nancy Moore Bess)

(bamboo in Japan, Nancy Moore Bess)

Tonight I will go back to hometown, Osaka by bus. Bamboo bike2 already shipped to Osaka yesterday. We will stay in Osaka with my parents both during year-end and new year, looking forward to seeing, also we will enjoy biking around in Osaka area. Have a wonderful Christmas, my friends! It rains heavy in Tokyo, this early morning.